Spoiled brats...

I read an article today that pissed me off.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53028

It is the perfect example of why the priveliged in this country are so out of touch with the rest of us and it makes me mad. Apparently a ring-ding named Craig R. Smith thinks that I'm a spoiled brat for being unhappy with the direction that our country is headed and unhappy with the performance of Dubbyuh. He then begins to tell me why I'm ungrateful for all of these apparent joys that I have simply by being from the USA. If you give his article a general, broad read you may agree with him. But if you start to really pick it apart, it's got more holes than a block of Wisconsin-made Swiss cheese. Let's begin...

"Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?"

The storm drains in our culdesac flooded two weeks ago and we were out of water for a couple of days. We pay $232 a month for power. Ask the Iraqis if they'd pay half as much for the stuff and I bet they'll happily use their candles and generators out of choice. Sure, 95.4% of us have jobs, but how many of us have had our wages go up at least as much as the rate of inflation in the last four years? I make the same amount as I did three years ago doing the same job. And what about Darfur? What exactly have we done to fix THAT genocide? If we held their situation to the same standard as we did the Iraqis before the Iraq War, or even now, we would have 150,000 troops in Africa saving human lives and keeping the peace.

"Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital."

The reasons why we don't have to show identification to travel across state lines is because 1) we have created laws allowing us to do so; 2) we beat the bastards that occupied our land who might have created such restrictions in a war 230 years ago; 3) no politician would ever be elected if he or she supported interstate checkpoints. And if motels are so safe, why do the doors automatically lock when you close them? Iraq and most other large countries have thousands of restaurants too. The difference is ours are more expensive so that the shareholders and CEO's can reach quarterly profit goals (see wages reference above). And the health care bit about car wrecks and helicopters? At what cost do we pay for that? Most other developed countries (and some non-developed countries) provide the same service for free. And don't think there isn't a hidden deductable for that helicopter ride at the same cost for those poor and those rich. That is, assuming they both have health insurance, which is also the same price for both.

"Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers."

We don't own the house we live in because we can barely afford the rent! Most countries have firemen. There are roughly 500,000 residential fires each year in the US and over 126 million houses and almost as many apartments. That's a .2% chance you're going to call the Anytown FD when you forget to water your Christmas tree this winter and your lights start getting warm. I'd like a reference to the cost of homeowners insurance in this country. One of my many flat-screen tv's? Who is this guy? It took us six months to pay for our regular tv. I've tried to find data on how many breaking and entering charges have been filed for crimes committed between 7:00am and 9:00pm while the residents were home. I bet it's less than 10%. And who is dropping the bombs and "raping and pillaging" the people of Iraq? Maybe Craig didn't read the headline from this past February of an Army sergeant raping an Iraqi girl and killing her family (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17247852/). And our daughter will not own a cell phone or have her own computer. That's a parenting problem, not a luxury."

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy."

You can't be serious, Craig. "Complete religious, social and political freedoms" ??? We are promoting religious and racial profiling in our law enforcement as well as promoting and legislating socially conservative and religious viewpoints such as abortion, the death penalty and prayer in schools while condemning the athiests and agnostics. Not to mention the demonizing of people and opinions contrary to those of the current president and his administration. Take Craig's article, for example.

"Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here."

I won't touch the religious references, but to call us all "spoiled" is to live in a box where everyone is well-off and the same in this country. The fact is that there is a divide between those who believe that everything in America is hunkey-dorey and those who think we have an agressive, controlling, self-serving nature that needs to focus more on our own problems and needy people than those that exist thousands of miles away of which our need for their attention is debateable.

- Iraq will be more stable and Americans will be safer if we pull out 100,000 troops by next Spring... debateable.

-47 million Americans have no health insurance and cannot afford basic health needs such as dental care and routine doctor visits... fact.

That is the problem, Craig. That is why I am unhappy with our current direction and that is why I am unhappy with the performance (or lack thereof) of Dubbyuh. This country has been supporting the priveliged and wealthy for too long at the expense of those of us who can barely afford our basic needs while trying to have a quality of life worthy of that job that we apparently should be so greatful for. It might be worthy to note that craigrsmith.com lists the author as CEO of the Swiss America Trading Corporation and is clearly a wealthy man (not to mention the fact that he disputes that oil is a fossil fuel and a finite resource).

I don't expect Mr. Smith to understand the majority of America. He is rich, we are not and that brings some fundamental differences to our viewpoints. It's just a shame that the loaded CEO is calling me and my wife "spoiled brats."

An Interesting E-mail...

I received a forward in my inbox today with Ben Stein's opinion about religion and Christmas. I have the original e-mail in italics and my response in plain text.

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This guy has something to say that you should listen to, but you must read it to the end. Ya, it is going to take about 3 minutes of your time but it is worth it. How many people are you going to send it to? Don't send it back to me I read it and I took the time to forward it. That should tell you that I believe what he said.

If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.

I'm not sure what to make of the idea that by "swaying" juries those people are then thinking clearly. Take the OJ Simpson jury, for example. I don't see anyone giving Johnny Cochrane credit for making people think "clearly" by his, "If the gloves don't fit, you must acquit" line. I think that kept people from thinking clearly. I also think that the job of the attorney is not for someone to think clearly, but to make them think however you want them to think, whether that's clearly, foggy, or ridiculously.

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This is a comment from Ben Stein
Read Slowly

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.If this is what it means to be no longer young, it's not so bad.

I know who Nick and Jessica are, but I don't care about them either. I mean, this stuff is on E! when I channel-check each, but I'm not actively pursuing an interest in what Jessica or Lindsay Lohan had for lunch yesterday.

Next confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

Point taken. They aren't Jewish trees or Muslim trees. They ARE Christmas trees and calling them anything else would be inaccurate.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

Agreed as well. If Anytown Christian Academy wants to spend its tuition dollars on a manger or a crucifix or a whole slew of pro-Christian stuff, be my guest. That's what those parents are paying for and what they want to promote for their children. Otherwise they would have sent them to another school. The problem is if a public entity has these things on their property then the public has probably paid for them. Is it right to spend a Muslims taxes on a manger? Should a Christian's taxes be spent on a Ramadan celebration? Should a Jew's taxes pay for a secular spiritual gathering? Or should we allow people to spend their own money on whatever they want on their own property and leave government as it is with no favoritism? There is a difference between having a manger in front of the First Presbyterian Church and a manger in public library.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Since when was I "pushed around?" I have my God on my money, in my national anthem, during my 7th inning stretch, on 6 channels of my 60-dollar-a-month cable television, it goes on and on. I hardly call a Jehovah’s Witness mother requesting her son not participate in religious activities as my being "pushed around." Personally, I don't care if the Pledge of Allegiance has God in it or not - I haven't said the pledge in 15 years. The problem I have is that because over 90% of this country’s citizens believe in God, we either expect the other 30 million or so people to deal with the impositions we have placed on them or we label them as having a fundamental flaw within our society. There must be a forum for those people in this country and if government doesn't give it to them, they are shunned. They are the one's who are pushed around, not us. Again, go Christmas crazy in your house and front yard with all the tacky, plastic, Wal-Mart-purchased, made in China, clutter you like, just keep it out of the highway interchange and off the front yard of the state capitol.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

Who has kept you from being able to "worship God as you understand Him?" Are you not allowed to go to services on Saturday? Are you the victim of constant hate crimes because of your beliefs? Why must your belief be not only made public, but be promoted on public property for you to "worship God as you understand Him?" Has it occurred to you that my worshiping God as I understand him includes no public promotion of religion by creating a fair playing field for all to worship and exist in their own faiths? Why are you right and I am wrong?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

I'm not touching that one.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

It's not funny at all. It irritates me too that America’s money is wasted on junk like People magazine and not spent on NPR or the local museum. I will never understand how the word “celebrity” was created or why it exists.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

What a pointless, never-ending-circle of an argument. Ok, so, God now single-handedly makes all bad things happen to people who deserve it and makes all good things happen to others? Or does he only do the good and the devil does the bad? I just want to make sure I get this straight - The people of New Orleans asked God to get out of their schools and government and lives, so he retaliated by allowing Katrina to happen? How about the San Francisco earthquake in 1906? Or the 7 people of Riegelwood, NC who were killed in a tornado last night? Were they all asking for God to leave them alone? Or was it the people of this country in general who have been promoting a secular government and God just figured the victims of Katrina were going to pay the price? I don't know about you but that's a pretty nasty way for God to show his vengeance. I do not believe that to be the way of things and if it were, I'd find a new God, along with a lot of other people.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

Now God is such the gentleman that he just does whatever we ask? Should we all ask for a million dollars? Then we just up and get it? In my best Eric Cartman voice, "Totally sweet." And you think we've all just asked him to go away? I think you overestimate those sorts of people. And even if they did, would God really do that? So, now God has "backed out?" He's become so fed up with people who not only go to church, but actively ask for his blessing and protection, but also want to keep their faith out of the public sector that he now refuses them those things which they pray for? I think that's not only silly, but taking a point-of-view to the extreme.

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Terrorist attacks and school shootings started in 1995? Tell that one to the families of the Syracuse University students who died in the Lockerbie Scotland airplane bombing, or the families of those kids who died in Olivehurst, CA in 1992.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school . The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Is this Fox News? The spin sure sounds like it. Where is it that kids are told not to read bibles in school? Plenty of schools have religious classes and no sane person really has a problem with that. It's making kids take part in religious activities that is the problem. Having the choice to learn about the old or new testament is not only a good thing, but it can promote the understanding of faith and culture. Just how I believe similar classes on the Koran would do this country a whole lot of good. I would go back to high school for that one.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

We did, but that was one small part of his ideas about interaction with children. Of course it is the most controversial, so it's all we hear about. These ideas are also being questioned now and restudied. I don't plan on spanking my children because it had the opposite effect on me as a child. I am not a physically aggressive person and I don't feel comfortable spanking kids, hitting people, or anything close to any of that. I'm also not telling anyone how to raise their kids either, which is something our society has a problem with. I also think it’s backwards for us to spank kids, then teach them not to fight or hit others, then send them to other countries to shoot people, but that’s another argument for another day.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Let me ask you this, if Mr. and Mrs. Harris and Klebold spanked their kids and took them to church, how much sense would your argument make?

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Totally.

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Again, who is "trashing God" by wanting a Christmas Tree in church instead of in the library or the school? No one is telling you what to believe or how to raise your kids, just respect the fact that people believe other things and have the legal right in this country to protect them.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Now we're being funny? I thought this wasn't funny? I don't believe what the newspapers say blindly, just as I don't believe what the Bible says blindly. Newspapers tend have some substance to them to prove or disprove what they are reporting. The Bible just says things and expects you to believe it. Now, taking the faith out of the comparison, how is it that we should question what comes to us every morning on the doorstep which is debated over and over on tv and the opinion column, and contains comments which, if not backed up with sources you may be sued over, but the Bible should just be "believed?" And you find it funny when I don't question both of them? Again, I'm a God-fearing Christian and I think the Bible says a lot of good things, but in regard to, "He who spareth the rod hateth his son (Proverbs 13:24)" I apologize for not finding a rod to hit my daughter. What does "rod" mean? Does it mean hand? Does it mean a literal rod? Does a belt count? If it does mean a literal rod, do my parents hate me? Who decides these things? I question all kinds of things in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what it can do or believe that I am less of a Christian.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

I generally keep the rule of no forwards. Exceptions can be made, just like the person who sent me this did, but they can get annoying. I don't think God would hate me if I deleted this e-mail before I read it.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

I don't think that's funny nor do I think it is true. Lewd, crude, vulgar, and obscene articles don't pass all that freely out here. First of all, if you are 18 you have the right to see whatever you want here. If you have a problem with that then go live in communist China and tell me how much you like their rights. If your kids are under 18 and they use a computer in your house, how about being responsible for the content they can access? If you can't control their use, don't have a computer or don't have kids. Don't blame me because your 16 year old son got caught looking at porn on the internet just because I think adults have the right to spend as much money as they want on adult pornography in their own home. It doesn't make those people very respectable, but that is their right. Public "discussion" of God I think happens when it needs to happen. But there is a difference between that and making kids participate in religious activities in public schools. First, the kids don't have the right to have the discussion. Their parents decide for them. Second, if someone wants their daughter to not be around when her class prays for a good day, that is their right. Second, going back to you being pushed around, what does that kid have to do with you? Why are you imposing your beliefs on that family? You don't have that right.

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(from the original sender of this forward)

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

That's not funny and it isn't true.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Again, not funny, but I don't live by the bind of doing what will make God think good of me. If you need that kind of oversight in making good and bad decisions, you should live at home with your parents. I do good things because that's what's right, not because of fear of God making a hurricane Katrina.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

You think I should pass on every e-mail that I think has merit? I would hate to see the size of your inbox. I think you can discard this thought process and complain about whatever you want. And I don't believe that anything about Christmas Trees being at schools has much to do with the sad state this world is in. If God just handles all of the good and bad in the world then we should just sit on our couches and watch E! while he takes care of it all for us, Nick and Jessica's lives included.